Tag - defense

 
 

DEFENSE

An Israeli tank near the border with the Gaza Strip on Saturday. As global outrage and impatience grow over the war’s devastating human toll, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden said late Friday that it was bypassing Congress for a weapons sale to Israel.
WORLD
Dec 31, 2023
Defying U.S. pressure, Israel deepens Gaza assault
The Gaza Health Ministry reported Saturday that 165 people had been killed in Israeli airstrikes and artillery attacks in the previous 24 hours.
New recruits for the People's Liberation Army attend a ceremony at a railway station in Ganzhou, in China's Jiangxi province, in March.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 30, 2023
China’s legislature ousts nine military cadres as turmoil widens
The removals are a sign Chinese President Xi Jinping’s nearly decadelong drive to clean up the People’s Liberation Army is still incomplete.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 29, 2023
After breakthrough talks, China's military slams U.S. for 'meddling'
U.S. officials had hoped last week's talks between U.S. Gen. Charles Brown and China's Gen. Liu Zhenli could herald a restoration in military ties.
The Ground Self-Defense Force's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade takes part in a marine landing drill on Tokunoshima island, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Nov. 19.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 29, 2023
Kishida’s military build-up plans face bumpy road ahead
One year on, questions remain as to whether the embattled leader, whose support rate recently dipped to new lows, can follow through on his pledges.
A Houthi military helicopter flies over the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea in this photo released on Nov. 20.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 29, 2023
U.S. allies reluctant on Red Sea task force
Italy and Spain have issued statements appearing to distance themselves from Operation Prosperity Guardian.
U.S. military aid is unloaded from a plane near Kyiv in 2022 as part of the security support package for Ukraine.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 28, 2023
U.S. releases final package of authorized military aid for Ukraine
The package includes air-defense and artillery munitions, the State Department said in a statement.
An image from Dec. 9 appears to show the Russian container ship Angara, sanctioned by the U.S., unloading cargo at Najin port while containers from North Korea await loading at an adjacent pier.
WORLD
Dec 27, 2023
Ghost ships at reawakened North Korea port put Ukraine in peril
The vessels are suspected to be delivering arms to Russia that eventually make their way to the frontlines of Vladimir Putin's invasion.
Prime minister Fumio Kishida reviews Japan Self-Defense Forces troops at Camp Asaka in Tokyo in November 2021.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 27, 2023
Reviewing Japan's security moves in 2023
With Japan's economic malaise and scandals eroding political capital in Tokyo, 2024 may yield an extended waiting period for new security measures.
Former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2023
Japan must further ease arms export rules, ex-defense chief says
Itsunori Onodera said he would press ahead with ruling coalition discussions on broadening the scope of allowable exports.
Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force take part in a joint military drill in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, in January.
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2023
Japanese major general demoted over power harassment
The punishment was the second heaviest available after dismissal and the first two-rank demotion at the GSDF.
Self-Defense Forces soldiers take part in an evacuation drill on Yonaguni island in Okinawa Prefecture in November.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 22, 2023
Japan approves record ¥8 trillion defense budget
The defense budget announced Friday includes ¥370 billion to build two new warships that will utilize the U.S.-developed Aegis missile defense system.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a policy meeting on Friday.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2023
Japan cuts spending for first time in 12 years in fiscal 2024 budget
The budget for the coming fiscal year that starts in April is estimated at ¥112.07 trillion, down 2% from the current year's initial amount.
A Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) surface-to-air guided missile at the Air Self-Defense Force's Miyakojima Sub Base in Okinawa Prefecture in November
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2023
In major shift, Japan eases rules on exporting defense gear
The policy change could see Japan make its first export of lethal military equipment as early as next year.
A U.S. Steel coke works in Clairton, Pennsylvania
EDITORIALS
Dec 22, 2023
A steel deal that’s good for Japan and the U.S.
Nippon Steel’s announcement that it plans to purchase U.S. Steel has triggered an uproar in the United States.
Some analysts say China seeks ambiguity in defense relations to constrain what Beijing sees as U.S. military provocations in the region.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 22, 2023
U.S. and China top brass speak for first time in over a year
U.S. Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown and Gen. Liu Zhenli of China's People's Liberation Army touched on "a number of global and regional security issues."
Shoppers at a market in Kyiv on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Dec 21, 2023
With Ukraine’s aid in doubt, companies say they’re the Plan B
Ukrainian companies making products are ensuring their survival while contributing to the war effort.
A PAC-3 surface-to-air guided missile at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo in June
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 20, 2023
Japan may make U.S. PAC-3 missiles in first weapon deal after ban
The missiles, made under license from a U.S. company, would be the first weapons to be exported in finished form from Japan after the ban is eased.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting near Moscow on Dec. 12.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 20, 2023
U.S. allies brace for high cost of defeat as Ukraine aid stalls
Russian victory in Ukraine would be felt around the world as U.S. partners and allies questioned Washington’s promises of defense.
Buildings in Xiamen on mainland China across the Taiwan Strait from anti-landing barriers on a beach in Kinmen, Taiwan.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 20, 2023
Taiwan’s ability to defend against Chinese invasion questioned
For all the support given by Washington, the reality is that when it comes to both civil and military defense, Taiwan still has a lot to do.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Reno, Nevada, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 19, 2023
Diplomats gird for 'doomsday' as prospect of Trump presidency looms
If he were to win a second term, Trump is likely to install loyalists — meaning his whims and isolationist policies would be easier to enact than before.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?